Kitatta’s lawyer banned from court martial

Court martial has expelled Kittata’s laywer Jimmy Muyanja from appearing to the court again over his manners. (Photo by Racheal Agaba)

KAMPALA- There was drama at the General Court Martial on Tuesday August 7 when a lawyer representing the embattled Boda Boda 2010 Association patron, Abdallah Kitatta was thrown out of court for disrespecting proceedings.

The court was in the middle of the cross-examination of the prosecution witness, Private Richard Kasaija over his May testimony that pinning Kitatta on being in unlawful possession of three guns and 55 rounds of ammunitions.

However, Kitatta’s lawyer, Jimmy Muyanja, banged the table in anger, accusing the prosecutor, Maj Rapheal Mugisha, of signaling answers to the witness, whose cross examination had lasted four hours.

Muyanja’s actions angered the court chairman, Lt Gen Andrew Gutti, who ordered Military Police to escort him out, with a warning never to set foot in the court again for being “stupid”.

During the cross-examination, Kitatta’s lawyers led by Shaban Sanywa labelled Kasaija as an incompetent soldier who is unfit to carry on operations, saying he cannot even remember the number or the names of suspects he arrested in January.

They had also asked court to bring evidence of CCTV footage of a Hotel that Kitatta was allegedly arrested from at Wakaliga as part of his defence.

However, Gen Gutti declined to grant the order for Kitatta’s lawyers to use the camera footage as evidence that Kitatta was never found with the 3 guns in his room at Vine tea Hotel.

“The camera footage is not part of the testimony of the first prosecution witness private Kasaijja and therefore there is no basis upon which the lawyers can cross-examine him on the same,” Gen Gutti explained.

Kitatta is charged together with 12 members of his group for offenses of unlawful possession of firearms and Military equipment. The suspects have since denied the allegations for which the prosecutor will present his second witness on September 10.